Cinque Terre – Dolly Travels

I promised I would write about Cinque Terre, the five villages on the Ligurian coast that are part of the Italian Riviera. Susan and I spent three lovely days in Vernazza, the fourth of the five cities. We were so busy having fun, I neglected to write while we were there. Now, as we wait for a train that will take us back to Florence, I find I have time to write.

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Gay Venice – The Globetrotter Guys

Gay Venice - The Globetrotter Guys

Venice is one of those places that everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime.

It’s a unique set of archipelago islands, with only boats and gondolas for transport and many beautiful bridges connecting what used to be over hundred individual villages.

Once we had set foot into the city, we immediately fell in love with its charm and felt like we had escaped into some sort of romantic film set.

What’s more, when travelling to Venice, gay travellers like ourselves should feel very welcome. Whilst it may not have a big gay scene, Venice felt safe, gay friendly and put us straight at ease. We had no issues, or even looks, walking around hand in hand and being openly affectionate.

We spent two nights on our ‘gay Venice’ trip and managed to cover plenty of the city whilst still having a relaxing and enjoyable time.

In this guide we have shared our itinerary of how to spend two days in gay Venice as well as a look into gay friendly hotels in Venice, the gay scene, gay rights in Italy and local attitudes.

Full Story at The Globetrotter Guys

Gay Venice Travel Resources

 

Rome With Kids – 2TravelDads

Rome With Kids - 2TravelDads

Planning Rome with kids feels like a daunting task. We haven’t taken the kids to Italy yet, but our friends Frank and BJ have taken their son and have written their recommendations for how to plan a trip and the top sights to see with kids in Rome. They share what experiences in Rome are the most engaging for small kids and how they pulled off an epic visit to the Eternal City.

Europe is filled with a rich history, wonderful cultures, stunning architecture, fantastic food, incredible languages… The list can go on and on. When we travel all together as a family, we like to introduce Milo (and ourselves) to different cultures, foods and historical sites. That being said, one of our favorite countries to visit in Europe is Italy. My family is Italian, and this being Milo’s first time in Europe, we had to visit Italy so he can meet all of his cousins there.

When travelling anywhere with kids whether it’s for a long period of time or even just a few days, it’s important to pack light, and smart! When you visit Rome with kids, you really need to be practical and bring along only the essentials.

By BJ Barone – Full Story at 2TravelDads

Rome Gay Travel Resources

 

Trans Travel: Invisible in Rome – Daily Beast

trans travel

I usually get butterflies in my stomach before a big adventure, and my 2016 study abroad trip to Rome is no exception. Most of it is the usual mix of nerves and excitement—I wouldn’t travel if I didn’t love it—but there’s another element as well.

This would be the first time I am outside the country as a transgender person.

When you do a quick Google search of “trans travel,” you tend to end up with a list of things that could go wrong: getting held up at the airport, harassed by strangers, more airport horror stories, getting killed. And these are things I know I should be aware of, but none of this is new information. What I’m worried about is the unknown. What is Rome’s queer community like? Are transgender people on their radar? Should I tone down my femininity? Google doesn’t say.

The flight goes about as well as it can—thankfully no horror stories here—and before I know it I find myself in my university’s Rome Center, filling out my Declaration of Presence. Nome? Noah. Sesso? Female.

From there I make my way down the narrow cobbled streets to find my apartment, the wheels on my suitcase getting trapped between the stones (sanpietrini) when they aren’t clattering embarrassingly loudly in the quiet residential area. By the time I reach my vine-covered apartment I’ve worked up a good sweat in the humid June heat of the city. I’ve also realized that it’s going to be impossible to wear my chest binder here. I’m not supposed to wear it more than eight hours, certainly not while exerting myself in the heat, and I already know I will probably walk more than I have in my life.

By Noah Deans-Gravlee – Full Story at The Daily Beast

Rome Gay Travel Resources

 

Visit Italy’s Lake Como – The Gay UK

Lake Como - Pixabay

Almost everything I thought I knew about was wrong, so I was pleasantly surprised. I went to Lake Como, Italy in June, imagining it as a small and sleepy luxury resort town. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Como is everything but small and offers the best of Italy’s beauty, culture, history and much more.

Como appeals to all types of travellers, history and architecture buffs, who want to see Roman, middle-ages and renaissance buildings, majestic gothic cathedrals and churches, hike in the mountains surrounding the lake, visit world-class museums and foodies who want to try local cuisines and the best Michelin 3-Star restaurants in the world. Although not one of the biggest wine regions in Italy, there are several wineries around Como and local wines are served at most restaurants there.

The lake is located in northern Italy’s Lombardy region, about fifty-two miles north of Milan, close to the Swiss border. At fifty-six square miles, the lake is shaped like an inverted letter “Y”, surrounded by dozens of ancient villages along its shores. Each quaint village has its own rich history, distinct characteristics and offers unique sites to visit.

By Vic Gerami – Full Story at The Gay UK

Lombardy Gay Travel Resources

 

Queer Venice for Families – 2TravelDads

queer venice - 2traveldads

When you live in the United States and you think about taking a trip to Europe, your mind darts so quickly from place to place and you start to create an enormous to-do list of sights and experiences you MUST cross off. Venice, Italy is at the top for everybody, I swear, and rightly so. But today you hear stories from everybody who visits of being over-run by tourists and walking through narrow streets in single file lines. Not cool. But we know how to enjoy a stress-free trip to Venice and now you can too.

Known as “la Serenissima”, the most serene, Venice is chalked full of history and beauty. It’s calm and peaceful in the wee hours, and yet it’s crazy and crowded with tourists in the daytime and around famous landmarks. Our method of exploring and tips are sure to help you have a relaxing and unforgettable trip to Venice.

Living on the west coast of the USA, the oldest structures we have anywhere are barely 150 years old, so immediately any fascinating architecture must go on the travel list. And then there is art. In the Seattle area we are inundated with local art (subjects of orca whales, boats, produce, modernism…), so the chance to visit every single museum filled with historic pieces in every city cannot be missed. But here’s some real talk: if you want to enjoy Venice stress free, let yourself be okay with not visiting every single museum.

Oh, and food. I can’t even begin to talk about that, so our friend Kavita will tackle that for us over on her blog. The best food in Venice should be left to the experts. My only thing to say about the food in Venice is that their preparation of seafood is unique in comparison with other places in Italy and at least one meal in Venice needs to be local seafood dishes.

You could say that Venice is a foot traffic nightmare, and you wouldn’t be lying, but that doesn’t mean it has to cause anxiety. Stress free Venice is all about letting the city lead you to the best experiences for YOU.

By Rob Taylor – Full Story at 2TravelDads

Venice Gay Travel Resources

 

Sailing In Gay Sardinia And Corsica – DJ Yabis

Gay Sardinia - DJ Yabis

Sardinia and Corsica have some of the dreamiest beaches and coastlines In Europe. Yes the sand is really that white, and the sea the bluest blue. Imagine dropping anchor in Costa Smeralda, a jumble of fjord-like inlets and coasts of frost-white sand, and exploring the Sardinian coast at its most idyllic. Or imagine strolling in Corsican villages with their stony ramparts at their most captivating at dusk on a warm summer evening.

You get to experience all of this and more on a sailing trip to these beautiful islands. As most of you who follow the blog know I’m a beach person and there’s nothing that could make me any happier than being in the water. Imagine my excitement when I was finally able to go on a sailing trip for a week. Sailing is definitely an experience you have to try at least once in your travels in Europe.

The Yacht-Sharing Experience

We sailed with Miaplacidus sailing yacht through Intersailclub. IntersailClub is a yacht-sharing concept which makes sailing much more affordable. It’s like the Airbnb of yacht sailing because you can just rent a cabin and share the whole yacht with other people instead of paying for the whole yacht. They also call this concept as cabin charter in sailing lingo.

Renting a yacht that comes with a crew for 1 week can easily cost you from 5,000-20,000 euros for a week depending on how big the yacht is. With IntersailClub, you can book a cabin or a bed in a yacht from 700-1,000 euros for a week and they’ll take care of everything! You’re welcome.

By DJ Yabis – Full Story at DreamEuroTrip

Sardinia Gay Travel Resources

 

Last Day of Hiking in the Dolomites – Dolly Travels

Dolomites - Dolly Travels

Buongiorno, tutti,

We are now on a train, traveling south to Rome. We had to leave the beauty of the Dolomites this morning, for we have an early flight tomorrow from Rome, which will bring us back to California.

I am so glad we had those last four days in the Dolomites; the hiking, the lifts, the animals, the friendly people, plus the sheer beauty of the area was so enjoyable for all of us. Danny and Heather took another trail yesterday, and I took the Trail of the Witches that they had hiked the day before. This trail is considered an easy trail, but I do believe the classification of “easy” is all in the mind of the hiker. To me, it was a moderate trail, with rocky paths, some steep uphill walking, but manageable. Also, we found that the term, “hiking”, is not a word used very much. The kids found that people from Scandinavia do not have a word for that. Those people simply “walk” on the trails. While I thought eight miles was a pretty hefty walk, the Norwegians said they do that on a daily basis. I think I must be a wimp. I have learned, also, that if a trail marker says the next point will be 20 minutes, for me, it will be 40. I stop frequently just to admire where I am.

The trail followed the outer perimeter of one of the mountains. From the trail, quite often I could see over the rim to the valleys below.

At the overlook at that northern end of the meadow, there was a memorial cross. I counted four crosses up on that mountain.

Of course, since the trail leads through grassland, there were cows. This cow, named Dagmar, was not going to budge off the trail.

She and I had a conversation, but since she only understood German, I lost the debate. Finally, I did make my way around her. I knew her name, for I could read her name tag on her ear.

The path had some pretty little scenes along the way, such as this wooden bridge over a small stream.

At last, I could see our town, Castelrotto, sitting far, far below me. At that point of the trail, if I took a few steps to my right, I could have fallen halfway to Castelrotto. I was careful.

After lunch, I competed my walk back to Compatsch, then I took the cable car back down to the station, and the bus back to Castelrotto.

The kids beat me home; we compared notes, and I discovered that they had walked the trail that I had walked the first day, through the fields of flowers, the Nature Path.

All in all, we had a delightful four days, with plenty of exercise, fresh air, good food and wine, plus the added pleasure of meeting people from different countries; all of us had come to Alpe di Suisi to enjoy the beauty of the region.

Soon we will be back home, living our ordinary lives, with the memories of this fantastic vacation to keep us happy.

I hope you have enjoyed our trip to Italy with us. I will not blog again until we are home; probably rested, also. Please tell me your thoughts and views on these blog posts. I want all of you to enjoy the places that I visit.

Ciao for now,
Dolly

By Dolly Goolsby – Full Story at Dolly Travels

Dolomites Gay Travel Resources

 

More From the Dolomites – Dolly Goolsby

Good evening, all,

We had another adventure on the mountains this morning. Today, the weather was quite different from yesterday. There was a cloud cover and it was pretty breezy and chilly, once we got up to Compatsch. I took it easy today, only taking a cable car up to Puflatsch and back again. However, the view from up there made me so happy just to be up in those mountains.

However, after I had some coffee at the restaurant, I walked out and looked toward the west. I love this view, for you can see across the top of Italy, into Austria. If there weren’t any clouds, I believe you could see to Switzerland.

The kids weren’t deterred by the weather. They took the Trail of the Witches, up to the Witches’ Benches, following the path that overlooks the valley and the villages down below.

I have never seen fuzzy cattle before. After I saw the picture, I knew I would have to make that hike myself, just to see these guys up close. Mama cow has already shed her winter coat, by rubbing it off on the trees. I think she is trying to help her baby get that old stuff off. Mama really needs to get her bangs cut.

My way of relaxing is just to view this peaceful valley with the grand mountains in the background. Although I did not hike today, I found my happy place where I could simply absorb the beauty of the Alpe di Suisi meadow.

Tomorrow will be another day for exploring up on the Alpe di Suisi. I will write more about that after we get back from that adventure.

I hope you are enjoying the Dolomites with us.

Ciao for now,

Dolly

By Dolly Goolsby – Full Story at Dolly Travels

Trentino Alto-Adige Gay Travel Resources

Bolzano – Dolly Travels

Bolzano - Dolly Travels

Good evening,

I finally have time to sit and write. We have been in Bolzano since yesterday afternoon, and it seems we have been going non-stop since we arrived.

We had a long train trip from Vernazza to Bolzano. If you look at a map of Italy, you will see that we came from the Ligurian Coast to northern Italy, to the gateway to the Dolomites. Actually, I have to admit, our train trip wasn’t so bad. We got a medium high speed train, the Frecciaargento from La Spezia to Florence, taking only and hour and a half, versus the usual 3 hours on a regional train. We had to wait about an hour in Florence, then we got another Frecciaargento train direct to Bolzano, a little over three hours.

Our hotel, Hotel Feichter, is located about four blocks from the train station, near the center of town. We got checked in, then took a walking tour of the town. It is a lovely Austrian-looking town, and of course, as we walked, we did not hear Italian being spoken anymore; the primary language here is German. Everything is so clean and neat. We walked down one street that had a covered portico to shield us from the sun. The shops were pretty upscale, but we weren’t shopping, we were just strolling.

Of course, for me, the biggest draw to Bolzano, is that this city is the gateway to the Dolomites. From the walkway in front of my room, I can see the stark Dolomite mountains. They are calling me.

Last evening, we walked again, and had not really decided where to have dinner. There was a big black cloud hovering over the western edge of the city. I told the kids that our dinner destination would be determined by what that cloud did. Interesting enough, we were just a few steps from a brew pub when the first fat rain drops started to fall, and within minutes, everyone was scrambling to get out of the rain.

We made it into the pub, got seated and enjoyed a traditional Austrian type dinner.

Of course, Danny had a beer with his dinner. After all, he had to try the locally-made brew.

After dinner, the rain had stopped, so we were able to walk home without getting soaked. However, about an hour after we got back to the hotel, we were treated to one of the most spectacular lightning and thunder shows that I have ever seen, complete with pouring down rain. It was so incredible, I had to open my window and watch the show. Heather and Danny told me that they went out onto the walkway in front of our rooms to watch it. What a fantastic treat…one we could enjoy from the comfort of our rooms.

Today, we visited the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, where we saw the displays focused on Ötzi, the Ice Man: an intact body of a man that was found high in the mountains between Austria and Italy in 1991. He has now been determined to be between 5,100 and 5,300 years old.

Later, we took a gondola up to the town of Oberbozen, a small resort town in the hills above Bolzano.

Tonight, we walked through some small streets, finally settling on one small restaurant for our dinner.

I do enjoy being in Bolzano, for it is an interesting city. There is a university here; it is the largest city in the northern part of Italy. There are many shops, eateries, plus parks and places to relax. Staying here is always a pleasure.

We will leave here in the morning, and take a bus for the one hour ride to Castelrotto, where we will spend four days, hopefully hiking and enjoying the outdoors in the clean Alpine air. For me, just being in the Dolomites makes me happy.

I will try to write a blog post within a day or two. It is hard to believe that this vacation is drawing to a close. What wonderful memories we will have to take home with us.

Arrivederci,
Ciao for now,
Dolly

By Dolly Goolsby – Full Story at Dolly Travels

Trentino-Alto Adige Gay Travel Resources Gay Travel Resources